


Priority: Noisy Kids

by ArcticLucie



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Children, Councilor!Shepard, Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kaidan's clingy, M/M, Shepard doesn't mind, Space Husbands, Stayathomedad!Kaidan, Ten years post-ME3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 15:03:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3492767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcticLucie/pseuds/ArcticLucie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan gets a migraine and Shepard must deal with noisy kids and a clingy husband.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Priority: Noisy Kids

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote most of this awhile ago, just needed to clear it out of my WIP folder. I wasn't sure how to end this, but I think I'm finally satisfied with it. Enjoy the fluff!

"That's enough!!" Shepard said, firm and loud with his best Commander Shepard voice.

It was the same one he used to force the entire galactic arena to bend to his will from his Council seat. The same voice he had used to defeat the Reapers and forge peace treaties between unlikely allies out of thin air. It was the same tone he spouted from the bridge of the Normandy when he told the Illusive Man where he could "shove it!"

But for some strange reason, it had no effect on the four year old Salarian twins that were running amok around the kitchen counter.

"Hey! That's enough!" he said again, dropping to his knees to catch one in each arm. "What did I just say?"

"To be quiet," answered Kirry, meekly.

"And why did I tell you that?" He waited briefly for a reply before continuing, "Mordy, why did I tell you two to be quiet?"

"'Cause daddy's sick."

"That's right, and what do we have to do when daddy's sick?"

"We have to be quiet," they both whispered with cheeky smiles. Little Kirrahe had a finger pressed to his thin lips while little Mordin looked around with boredom.

"What happens when you're too loud?"

"Daddy gets hurt. And we get in twouble," said Mordy.

"I have a migwain, too," Kirry added. "Can I sleep wiff daddy?"

"No, he needs to rest," Shepard said. Kirry crossed his arms and started to pout. "Yeah, you get that from me. Go to your room and play, Ash'll be home soon and then we'll have dinner."

"Pizza?"

"No, daddy's favorite."

"Steak!" they both yelled.

"Hey, quiet remember? Go on."

Shepard watched as their horned tops teetered down the hall. He sighed and shook his head with a soft chuckle before heading up the stairs. He was careful to avoid the ones that creaked, even though it was likely that no one could hear them do so but him.

Shepard slowly opened the bedroom door in an attempt to make the least amount of noise as possible. It was opened just enough for him to squeeze through without letting much light in. Noises and light were Kaidan's achilles heel when he had an episode and Shepard tried his hardest to save him from both.

He carefully made his way to the bed, tiptoeing as best as he could, and crawled under the blanket. Kaidan was laying on his side, back to the door, with a pillow over his head. Shepard saw him put it there when he opened the door and felt bad for disturbing him.

There was no greater pain in the galaxy than watching his husband battle a migraine as he sat on the sidelines helpless to stop it. He couldn't even manage to quell the noise from the children and the boys were only half their brood.

"Are they too loud?" he whispered as he snaked his arms around Kaidan's aching body.

Kaidan only groaned in response.

"I'm sorry," he said with a kiss on Kaidan's neck. "I'll send 'em all with Grunt after dinner." It was a joke to test his mood.

Kaidan hated when Grunt had all four kids at once, not that he didn't trust the tank-bred, it was their other four he was worried about. And that was without him being reminded of what happened the last time C-Sec saw Grunt walking down the Presidium with a Krogan girl, two Salarian twins, and a Human baby in his arms, the 'Savior's' kids none the less. SWAT, C-Sec, and all available Spectres had been called in.

So Shepard knew it was bad when he didn't even groan in protest.

Out of the silence, Shepard heard their sons cackling down the hall. He turned his head when the the noise got a little louder in preparation to send them away if they came through the door, but then the sound faded. "You're kids are loud, Major."

".....get that from you," Kaidan managed to mumble. He interlaced his fingers with Shepard's and gave them a squeeze.

"Sorry, Love. Need anything? I'll bring some water with your next round of meds." He kissed Kaidan on the shoulder as he tried to pull away. Kaidan refused to release his grip.

"Stay..." he replied, his voice rough and shaky. Kaidan was clingy when he was sick, but Shepard didn't mind.

"Our sons are probably tearing the house apart, probably built a time machine down there by now," he chuckled softly. "Oh, I think that's Ash. I'll be back."

"Don't care about the kids..."

"Shhh, don't let them hear you say that. They'll run away. And yes, I know you'd like that right about now, but we're already stuck with them," Shepard teased.

Another kiss on Kaidan's neck and he was able to slip his fingers free of his grip. The hand slid down the biotic's side as Shepard rose from the bed. Not that he cared either way, but Kaidan hadn't let himself go since retirement and Shepard relished the feel of his hard muscles as his hand traveled the length of him.

It stopped to rest on Kaidan's hip momentarily and gave him a reassuring squeeze before slipping away. "Right back...."

Kaidan hardly moved. Shepard thought about calling Dr. Michel to have a look, but knew there was nothing she could do other than tell him to take his meds. He closed the door softly and headed back downstairs, sulking in frustration.

"Is he still in bed?" Tali whispered as she handed over the youngest Shepard-Alenko when he greeted them in the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's a bad one...Hello, sweet girl!" he said to Tali and then to his eight month old daughter, Ashley respectively.

"AUNT TALI!!" the boys screamed as they ran to see who came in the door.

"Quiet," she said as she dropped to a knee to give them hugs. "Do you need us to take them for the night, Shepard?"

"I can't ask you to do that twice in one week."

"I don't mean to sound like I doubt him, but Garrus needs all the practice he can get. Besides, it was his idea after hearing you called in sick for the day. I think he wants to save some up for when we need a babysitter."

"Anytime! Max'll probably want to stay with Grunt. Unless you need her to help out? They were supposed to be back in thirty minutes...And I haven't fed them yet."

"One levo pizza coming up!" That earned Tali a round of praise from the twins.

"Get your go bags. I already repacked them," he said to the boys. "You sure, Tali? I can call Jack or someone."

"Jack!? Do you really want Ash getting her first tattoo before she can walk? No, no, it's fine. We really don't mind. And we still have plenty of baby stuff at our place from last time, so don't worry."

"You wanna go with Auntie Tali?" Shepard asked the baby.

"Of course she does!" Tali answered for her. They both laughed when she appeared to make a cooing noise in agreement.

"Ouch!" he squealed as Ash grabbed his lip and gave it a little twist. "Damn that hurt....You little scrapper! Just like you're namesake."

"Uh oh...Daddy said a bad word!" snickered Mordy from behind him.

Shepard rolled his eyes knowing he got caught. "Be good for Tali and Garrus, understand? If you misbehave, they'll be no more sleepovers! What do we say?"

"Yes, sir," the twins mumbled as each grabbed a leg for a hug. He leaned down and gave them a kiss on the forehead. He kissed Ash on the neck and gave her back to Tali. Humans and their kissing.

"This really helps me out. Apparently, I'm not good at keeping them quiet. Kaidan's gonna kill me. If you need Max, give Grunt a call."

"You worry too much!" Tali teased.

"Oh you just wait! How long? Four months until you have your own little Turian Hellion running around! Then we'll revisit this little chat."

"Okay, I get it...Let's go little Shenko's."

"Thanks again, Tali. I'll call tonight before bedtime to check in. If they get rowdy, call and I'll come get 'em," Shepard assured her, but she waved him off.

He felt a twinge of guilt as little Ash started to fuss when they walked out the door. She didn't want to leave her papa again, but Kirry distracted her and he heard her laughs as the group entered the elevator. That put him at ease a bit.

Three down, one to go. He went to the office and called Max on her omni. "How was the movie?" he asked when his nine year old Krogan daughter answered.

"You didn't have to call, we're almost home," she grumbled.

"That's not how you greet your father. I'd say you're spending too much time with Grunt but even he knows not to sass me like that. Let's try again, how was the movie?"

"It was great, Councilor Papa! Thank you so very much for letting me go see the eleventh Blasto movie with my Clan brother. You're the best!" she mumbled with sarcasm. They rolled their eyes at each other. Him and Max were way too much alike. Not surprisingly, Kaidan was so much better with her.

"Hey _Papa_ ," he heard Grunt chuckle in the background.

"Hey son," he teased. "Tali took the little ones for the night."

"Dad's not feeling any better?" Max asked concerned.

"Worse, the twins were not helping. You can stay with Grunt, if he'll have you. I told Tali to call if she needs help."

"I can stay with you, right?" she asked Grunt.

"Anytime," he answered as he tried to squeeze into frame. "I think she's finally old enough to go to that noodle place, huh Papa?"

"Only if you promise not to get her arrested. That's the last thing I need."

"Fine, I promise she won't get arrested. But I can't promise that I won't," Grunt chuckled.

" _Please,_ do NOT get into any trouble. If I have to give anymore statements to the media about my misbehaving children, heads will roll! Be good Max, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye Papa!" they both replied in unison before the image on the screen flickered out.

Shepard let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't had time for a hair cut in what felt like four years. Kaidan seemed to like the length though, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Although, it was a lot easier to see the grays now than when he walked around with a buzzcut, but Kaidan seemed to like that too.

He rose to his feet and headed to the kitchen. He had planned on cooking steak but knew Kaidan wouldn't be up for it with a migraine. He reached around the meat and pulled out some fish. It would be a lot easier on his stomach. And fish was a staple now that the new Citadel was complete with fully stocked recreational fish ponds curtesy of the Krogan Councilor.

He had just finished getting dinner in the oven when a beep on his omni-tool sounded indicating that it was time for Kaidan's meds. He filled a glass with water and went upstairs. He opened the door, carefully like he did before, and slipped in the room.

"It's time for your meds, babe. I brought you some water," Shepard whispered as he sat down in front of him on the edge of the bed.

Kaidan only groaned before he reached toward the bedside table to retrieve his analgesics. He fumbled for the glass and drank the whole thing in one go. Shepard sat there gently rubbing his thigh in silence.

"Kids gone?" asked Kaidan.

"Shipped off to military school like we talked about. All's left is me and my hot self," he replied, crawling back into bed behind his miserable husband.

"Wish I could enjoy it."

Shepard nuzzled into his neck and gave him a little peck. "I'm not going anywhere. Got fish cooking. Need anything?"

"Just you."

"That's a given. I wish I could help make you feel better. You know how it pains me to see you like this, Sweetheart."

"You do help...don't go again."

"Fish."

"Not hungry."

"You have to eat something. Crackers are not enough with your metabolism."

"Shhh..."

Shepard obliged and stopped talking. He pulled Kaidan in tighter and peppered his neck with kisses. Eleven years together and he still couldn't keep his lips off his favorite L2. He liked to think that just holding him lessened his discomfort some. Kaidan told him it did anyway.

He had about fifteen minutes until dinner was done and was happy to lay there and hold Kaidan until then. He soon regretted his decision when his omni-tool buzzed and he had to wake him to leave. At least he had the mind to put it on silent.

"Don't go back to sleep. You have to eat something, K."

"I'm not—"

Shepard shut the door before he could finish. On his way to the kitchen, he got a call which he promptly pulled up on the small screen above the counter as he made their plates.

 _"Shepard!! What the hell is this about Tali and Garrus getting the kids tonight? I'm more than qualified to change diapers! You think I'm not good enough to watch your kids? I have a whole platoon of babies I watch on a daily basis! Not to mention the two I have at home!!"_ bellowed Jack.

"You and James only have the one," he snickered.

_"Not the point, Shepard. And have you met James? Biggest baby ever!"_

"Tali already had Ash for the afternoon so I quickly sent the boys off with her when they came back. You want them for the weekend? Kaidan may have a migraine today, but I think he's just resting up for later," he smirked.

_"Ugh, I didn't need to hear that! And what...you mean all four of them? Like for the whole weekend? Together?"_

"Uh huh!"

 _"I think...-e...-ave...a...-ad...con--tion...call...-ater...," J_ ack mumbled as she shook her arm.

"Guess that's a 'no'," he said, smiling as the vid cut out.

"What's a 'no'?"

He turned to see Kaidan standing behind him, eyes squinting in the light, in nothing but his briefs. "Just Jack. Dim lights," he ordered as he took Kaidan in his arms.

He buried his face in Shepard's neck, arms pinned in between them. "Oh..."

"You didn't need to come down stairs. I was going to bring it up. Still will, go back to bed."

"Just hold me."

"That bad, huh? Let me call the doctor."

"No, the nausea is gone. I can eat."

Shepard knew he didn't want to bother Dr. Michel with something she couldn't help him with, but he sent off a message to her anyway. He kissed Kaidan's temple and ushered him over to a bar stool. After assembling the plates, he took the stool next to his husband.

Kaidan leaned into him through the entire meal. Shepard placed his right arm around him and held him steady while they ate, heads pressed together the whole time. He had to eat awkwardly with his left hand to do so, but he was nothing if he wasn't adaptable.

Surprisingly, Kaidan ate everything on his plate. That could either go two ways. It could signal that he was starting to rebound, his appetite was usually the first thing to come back. Or he just reloaded his ammo for another round of battle with the porcelain in their bathroom.

"I don't know how you do this every day, my love. Sure, I defeated some Reapers and have to put up with bickering politicians for hours at a time, but that has nothing on rangling our kids all day."

"Hardest thing I've ever done, best thing too...couldn't do it without you. Wouldn't want to."

"And they call me a hero," Shepard smirked. "I just hope your husband appreciates you for everything you do."

"More than I could ever know."

Shepard chuckled softly, "Got that right. Come on, let's get you back to bed."

Kaidan nodded and finally removed his chin from Shepard's shoulder. He wobbled a little when he stood from the stool, but Shepard grabbed him quickly to steady him.

"Whoa there, Major. I got you," Shepard assured him as he rose from his own stool. He walked Kaidan over to the stairs and positioned himself behind him in case the biotic tried to fall backwards. It was a good call.

The first step tripped him up and he fell back onto Shepard chest. He grab his hands as Shepard tried to stabilize him. "Sorry," he said ashamedly.

"I should've just carried you, Love. Here, turn around." They both turned and Kaidan hopped on his back. He was tempted to throw him over his shoulder, like old times, but didn't want to further agitate his headache, and his back just wasn't what it was ten years ago.

Shepard got him upstairs and tucked him into bed. "I'm gonna go take care of the dishes then I'll be back."

"They can wait."

Shepard gave him an incredulous look. Kaidan had become somewhat of a clean freak after they brought home Max, and he didn't quite know what to think about that.

"They can wait," he repeated as he grabbed the edge of Shepard's pants pocket. "I don't want you to go yet."

"I'm not going anywhere. I just need to put away the leftovers."

Kaidan squeezed his hip. Shepard wasn't going to leave until Kaidan let him, but he really did wanted to tidy up a bit. The living room was starting to look like a disaster area, and they'd both seen enough of those to want to avoid the situation.

Plus, he didn't want Kaidan to think he was a completely incompetent father. And although he'd never admit it, Kaidan's desire for cleanliness and order had rubbed off on him. Or maybe that was just from his years in the military. Regardless, he wanted to think it was him.

Eventually, Kaidan loosened his grip. He knew Shepard well enough to know that he wouldn't let it go. Whatever his reasoning was for wanting to get the kitchen clean was going to fester in his mind until he finished his mission. That's just who he was, so he released him.

He just hoped that it wasn't because of all his nagging. They'd had a few masterful fights over the years about things that seemed so mundane when compared to what they'd been through with the Reapers. Dishes in the sink, towels on the floor, shoes in the middle of the living room. But that all seemed like a small price to pay for loving the man.

"You have five minutes, then I'm going to come down and find you," Kaidan instructed.

"Duly noted."

Shepard gave him a kiss and headed back downstairs. He knew Kaidan wasn't joking, so he set a timer on his omni and got to work. He put the food in the fridge and soaked the dishes. He was hastily putting away the scattered toys when the door buzzed.

"Hi, Doc. Please, come in. I know there's nothing you can do about his migraines, but I just want to double check. He's upstairs."

"I will see what I can do," she replied, calm and gentle.

"I'll meet you up there in a few. I'm almost done here."

"Very well, Shepard."

As soon as his five minute timer went off, he hightailed it upstairs. He wasn't going to chance Kaidan making a scene with Dr. Michel around. She was close enough to them, taking over their medical needs after retirement, that Kaidan wasn't above doing so.

Kaidan glared at him as he stepped through the threshold. Dr. Michel had given him a small dose of muscle relaxant to help with the tension. It was all she could do, he had already maxed out his pain med dose.

"Don't look at me like that, Alenko...you're killing me here," Shepard lamented.

The doctor smirked. "I'm afraid there isn't much else I can do, but that should help to relax your muscles. I also brought you a refill on your meds, just in case you were running low."

"Thanks, Doc," Kaidan said. "I think I feel a little better."

"I take it, you just ate something?"

"Fish," Shepard replied.

"Smells good. An appetite is a good sign."

"We have leftovers if you're interested," Kaidan offered.

"I would love to, but raincheck. I have some reports to file back at the office."

"I'll walk you out, Doc," said Shepard.

When he got back to the bedroom, Kaidan was asleep. Very slowly, he climbed into bed behind him. The doctor said the relaxant should help him sleep. It must have knocked him out good because he didn't even flinch when Shepard wrapped his arms around him.

He'd had a hard day as well and was ready for bed. He truly did not know how Kaidan did it every day. They hadn't really talked about kids before Kaidan came to him and said he wanted to be a stay-at-home-dad. It floored him. He was too worried about logistics and wondering where they'd find the time to breach the subject, but Kaidan had made it a very easy decision after that.

Kaidan refused to let him go back into battle after almost losing him a second time. They resigned from the Spectres, Kaidan taught for awhile, Shepard admiraled for awhile until Hackett ordered him to accept the Council nomination. Not that he was going to say no. After Udina, he figured Humanity deserved a respectable Councilor.

So, now here they were, in the way too small apartment Anderson had left him on the finally repaired Citadel, both too sentimental to move anywhere else. The boys had the room downstairs, which was too far away Kaidan always said, and the girls were in the room next door. Half the time the baby slept with them, though. That was okay because the kids were theirs and they were home.

It was hard to go to sleep at night with anything but contentment etched on their features. Well, except maybe for nights like this, with their kids out of the house for medical reasons and Kaidan's head throbbing like a stamped of Krogan were running through it. But then Kaidan rolled over and snuggled against his chest, and Shepard couldn't help but fall asleep with a smile on his face and the love of his life held tightly in his arms.


End file.
